This invention relates to flexible hose, and in particular to cleaning dirt and debris from a flexible hose""s outer surface.
The cleaning of debris and dirt from the surface of a flexible hose after use in an untidy environment has been a problem for which a solution has long been sought. Apparatus and methods utilizing various techniques are disclosed in patents dating back at least a century, and a comprehensive review of some of these patents describing the prior art is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,415. Generally, these patents disclose a variety of combinations and configurations of hose cleaning techniques, but none provides a completely satisfactory solution to cleaning the wide variety of hoses in commercial and fire-fighting use today. A satisfactory solution must take into consideration not only the proper cleaning of the hose surface, but convenience of use and the environmental impact of the disposal of dirt, debris and waste liquid produced in the process. The present invention provides a unit adapted for effective cleaning of a wide variety of hoses in an environmentally acceptable manner.
The hose cleaning device of this invention provides an enclosure through which the hose is passed for cleaning. Initially, the hose preferably passes through a smooth radiused low friction entry fairlead that allows the soiled hose to be readily pulled along a straight line path through the cleaner. After entry, the surface of the hose passes through a set of pliant wiping flaps that closely engage the full circumference of the hose. The flaps both wipe dirt and debris from the hose surface as it enters the active cleaning region and contain liquid spray within the active cleaning region.
In the cleaning region, multi-stream jets of high pressure water blast and scour the moving hose""s surface. The water is preferably provided from multiple parts in a perforated pipe that surrounds the hose as it passes through the cleaning region. The hose exits the cleaning region through a second set of pliant wiping flaps that contain the liquid spray within the cleaning region.
The active cleaning region, filled with water spray, is maintained at a negative pressure by means of an associated suction system which also sucks out the dirty water and debris. The pliant wiping flaps act as partial pneumatic seals, allowing maintenance of the negative pressure in the cleaning region. This negative pressure also urges water and dirt that may escape from the scouring region back into the low pressure cleaning region.
Finally, the cleaned hose leaves the cleaning device through a second smooth radiused low friction exit fairlead. The fairleads are sufficiently smooth and are appropriately sloped to allow the hose to be pulled through the cleaner by an auxiliary reeling unit onto which the hose is wound after exiting the cleaner. The cleaning device is preferably mounted to a floor of a vehicle directly adjacent the reeling unit. The vehicle also supports a water source and suction unit which are both coupled to the cleaning region.
Carpet cleaning vehicles typically already include the water source, suction unit and reeling unit. Hence, addition of the cleaning device of this invention to such a vehicle provides the entire hose cleaning system. It will be noted that the unit is symmetrical with respect to the direction of hose travel, and the cleaning device works for either direction of hose movement. This symmetrical design feature allows for convenient positioning of the unit, since it can be rotated 180xc2x0 to allow the auxiliary pressure and suction lines to be on the side adjacent to the auxiliary high pressure water and suction units. This rotation ability provided by the symmetrical design feature, allows for ease of installation of the auxiliary pressure and suction lines and ergometric use.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a hose cleaning device which can continuously clean a hose passing through an enclosure and capture debris and cleaning liquid used within the enclosure.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device which can be operated by high pressure cleaning liquid and suction equipment contained within a mobile cleaning vehicle such as a carpet cleaning vehicle and which can accommodate passage of hose used by such a mobile vehicle through the device such that the hoses used by the mobile cleaning vehicle can themselves be cleaned by the device of this invention, such as after use and before being rewound onto a reel within the mobile cleaning vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hose cleaning device which has a central cleaning chamber through which the hose is passed which has high pressure water spray therein and which utilizes suction within the central cleaning chamber and pliable material adjacent where the hose passes into and out of the central cleaning chamber to contain liquid spray within the central cleaning compartment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hose cleaning device which can smoothly feed a hose into and out of the cleaning device without damaging the hose or allowing the hose to become caught within the cleaning device.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hose cleaning device which can be manufactured with a small footprint from lightweight materials and provide reliable hose cleaning service with multiple repeat uses.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hose cleaning device which is symmetrical about a hose pathway so that a hose can pass along the hose pathway in either direction with similar hose cleaning results.
Other further objects of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the included drawing figures, the claims and detailed description of the invention.